Rajeev Kumar is back as Bengal DGP

Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Rajeev Kumar is back as Bengal Director General (DGP) of Police after Mamata Banerjee's government reinstated him on Monday. Kumar was removed from the DGP post by the Election Commission of India (ECI), one of the very first transfers done by ECI soon after the Lok Sabha election dates were announced in March. ECI had also barred him from any election-related duty, amidst allegations by the BJP of his proximity to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He then shifted to head the West Bengal Information and Technology Department.

The reinstatement happened more than a month after the Lok Sabha election results in which the ruling TMC won 29 and BJP was reduced to 12 out of 42 seats in the state. The incumbent Sanjoy Mukherjee has been sent back to his previous department of DG- Fire services. Mukherjee was appointed by the ECI.

The 1989 batch officer has previously served as the Kolkata Police commissioner between 2016 and 2019. The senior officer was later transferred to head the state’s CID department. But in December 2023 Mamata Banerjee made him the top cop as state DGP.​